Friday, February 21, 2014
Genesis 32:22 - 33:17
Jacob’s struggle with the angel occurs between his flight from his father-in-law and his reunion with the brother he cheated years earlier. As someone who finds family gatherings stressful, I appreciate the story of Jacob. It is interesting that many religious folks are scandalized by family issues, but the Bible is full of family drama. It is a reality of human existence.
The great Jewish philosopher Martin Buber interpreted Jacob’s encounter with the angel as a representation of our wrestling with life’s great existential questions. I see in Jacob’s struggle with God a paradigm of a difficult yet legitimate journey of faith. There are times when, like Jacob in 32:24, we feel all alone. There are times when instead of feeling comforted and reassured, our relationship with God is characterized by wrestling. There are turning points in our lives that leave us forever changed (32:25, 32:28). Instead of feeling guilty about these times when we experience doubt or anger, we should be reassured that God is still there with us, even in the darkest, loneliest nights. It was in this encounter that Jacob realized he was closest to the face of God.
As we welcome (and hopefully, bring) new people into our churches, many of whom have been raised "unchurched," we need to affirm that their exploring, questioning, doubting, and even honest critiquing is welcome. No matter how circuitous the route, we can still hold on to the hope that, like Jacob, they will find themselves transformed after an encounter with God.
As we welcome (and hopefully, bring) new people into our churches, many of whom have been raised "unchurched," we need to affirm that their exploring, questioning, doubting, and even honest critiquing is welcome. No matter how circuitous the route, we can still hold on to the hope that, like Jacob, they will find themselves transformed after an encounter with God.
-Matthew Kieswetter
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